A total of 912 Hajj agencies got final approval from the Ministry of Religious Affairs to send pilgrims under private management in two phases this year. Last year, the number of approved Hajj agencies was 635.
According to the ministry sources, this year number of Hajj pilgrims, under government and private management, will be 127,198. The number of pilgrims was almost equal last year.
The ministry approved 772 Hajj agencies on February 28 and 140 agencies on March 7 respectively, the sources said..
Generally, it is a rule that each agency will send a minimum of 150 persons as Hajj pilgrims to Saudi Arabia. If any agency fails to arrange and make sure registration of minimum 150 persons, then it could ensure the same with the help of a led agency. Now the work of fixing led agency, final registration and transformation system of Hajj pilgrims from one agency to another is going on.
According to the directives of the Religious Affairs Ministry, the approved agencies have to complete the final registration of Hajj pilgrims by 18 March this year. Primarily, pilgrims who completed the pre-registration are staying in serial number 3,52,292 and they have been suggested to complete final registration.
But if anybody misses the serial to complete registration then serial holders from among the pre-registration will get chance instead of the missing. For final registration, each pilgrim will have to submit Tk 138,191 for plane fare through the concerned agency.
A total of 120,000 persons, including guide and Hajj
management, will perform Hajj under private management this year. Of them, 3,400 appointed for management and guide will be able to do registration directly.
On February 22, the Religious Affairs Ministry published a list of serial number of the pilgrims, who will be able to enroll in the final Hajj registration. The pilgrims have also been asked to submit scanned copies of their passports for the e-Hajj registration process.
According to HAAB, (Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh), the apex body of the country’s Hajj agencies, the private Hajj agencies will be allowed to announce their minimum Hajj package at Tk 332,868 for each pilgrim. No agency will be allowed to charge less than the fixed fees.
On the other hand, HAAB has sought interference of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for reducing pilgrims’ plane fare as the Biman Bangladesh Airlines has re-fixed the fare three times over the previous ticket cost.
“A pilgrim’s Dhaka-Jeddah-Dhaka plane fare has been fixed at Tk 138,191 against its actual fare of Tk 49,000 to Tk 52,000. As Biman gets only one-way passengers during Hajj, the plane fare can be doubled. But, they are taking three times more, which is unethical. The Prime Minister should take necessary steps in this regard,” HAAB Secretary General Shahadat Hossain Taslim told The New Nation on Sunday.
According to the Hajj agreement with Saudi Arabia, some 127,198 Bangladeshi pilgrims will be able to perform Hajj this year. Of them, 7,198 will perform Hajj under the government management and 120,000 under private management.
The Hajj is likely to be held on 21 August this year subject to the sighting of the moon.
